Hong Sun-chil,leader of the Dokdo Volunteer Guards, was born on Ulleungdo, Gyeongsang Province on January 23, 1929. His grandfather, Hong Jae-hyeon, moved from Gangneung, Gangwon Province to Ulleungdo in 1883 (20th year of King Gojong’s reign) at a time when the Joseon government had allowed immigration to the island to resume, and went on to dedicate his life to the island. From his childhood, he had heard his grandfather talk about the rich and fertile land on Dokdo and how the island was part of Ulleungdo. With the outbreak of the Korean War, Hong joined the Armed Forces. His unit was instrumental in defeating the North Korean forces, pushing them all the way back to Cheongjin, Hamgyeong-bukdo province, but he was wounded in battle near Wonsan and received an honorable discharge from the Army as Sergeant Major in July 1952. Hong returned to his hometown on Ulleungdo where, one day, he found a Japanese territorial marker that had been removed from Dokdo. The marker read “Takeshima, Oki Magistracy, Shimane Prefecture.” From that moment on, Hong was determined to guard the sovereignty of Dokdo. Earlier, in January that year, the Rhee Syngman administration had published its “Peace Line,” a boundary line encompassing all Korean territory, the Korean peninsula and its adjacent islands, reinforcing Korea’s claim to Dokdo. The Japanese government issued a strong protest and deployed patrol boats to monitor the island. Japan went so far as to trespass on Dokdo in order to place territorial markers.
Dokdo and Hond Sun-Chil, Leader of the Dokdo Volunteer Guards
In his village, Hong organized the young men who had military experience to form the Dokdo Volunteer Guards. He outfitted the men with weapons and supplies he had paid for out of his own pocket. From the time of his first landing on the island in April 1953, Hong led the Dokdo Volunteer Guards’ vigilante activities, which included engaging in multiple exchanges of gunfire with Japanese Coast Guard patrol boats. There can be no doubt that his actions in defending Dokdo despite threats and harsh conditions significantly contributed to Korea’s de facto control of the island today.
In December 1959, though responsibility for protecting Dokdo had been handed over to the Korean police, Hong assumed the position of President of the Society of Friends of the Dokdo Volunteer Guards and continued to play an active role in various Dokdo-related events. Hong led what became known as the Green Dokdo campaign, which continued until his death in February 1986, with initiatives ranging from creating a small waterworks in a sea trough on Seodo in September 1966, to programs from the 1970s where Ulleungdo’s younger residents planted trees on the island’s rocky mountainous terrain, and the installation of a gigantic Korean national flag, or Taegeuki, on Dokdo in 1983. As early as 1957, Hong had planned to establish Dokdo Development Company, Inc. He had a vision of Dokdo as not merely a place to protect but as a productive region that could be nurtured into a community with a vibrant commercial fishing industry. In recognition of his dedication to protecting the sovereignty of Dokdo and for his Green Dokdo initiative, Hong was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal of the fifth rank and the Samil Medal of Merit of the Order of National Security in 1966 and 1996 respectively. Hong wrote “Dokdo Voluntary Guard” which appeared in A Medal for a Unknown Veteran, a compilation of prize-winning works from a memoir writing competition for state-honored patriots and veterans, as well as Whose Land Is This, a memoir, an excerpt of which appeared in a magazine during his lifetime as part of an ongoing series, and then was published in its entirety after his death in 1997.
Dokdo and Hond Sun-Chil, Leader of the Dokdo Volunteer Guards
In his village, Hong organized the young men who had military experience to form the Dokdo Volunteer Guards. He outfitted the men with weapons and supplies he had paid for out of his own pocket. From the time of his first landing on the island in April 1953, Hong led the Dokdo Volunteer Guards’ vigilante activities, which included engaging in multiple exchanges of gunfire with Japanese Coast Guard patrol boats. There can be no doubt that his actions in defending Dokdo despite threats and harsh conditions significantly contributed to Korea’s de facto control of the island today.
In December 1959, though responsibility for protecting Dokdo had been handed over to the Korean police, Hong assumed the position of President of the Society of Friends of the Dokdo Volunteer Guards and continued to play an active role in various Dokdo-related events. Hong led what became known as the Green Dokdo campaign, which continued until his death in February 1986, with initiatives ranging from creating a small waterworks in a sea trough on Seodo in September 1966, to programs from the 1970s where Ulleungdo’s younger residents planted trees on the island’s rocky mountainous terrain, and the installation of a gigantic Korean national flag, or Taegeuki, on Dokdo in 1983. As early as 1957, Hong had planned to establish Dokdo Development Company, Inc. He had a vision of Dokdo as not merely a place to protect but as a productive region that could be nurtured into a community with a vibrant commercial fishing industry. In recognition of his dedication to protecting the sovereignty of Dokdo and for his Green Dokdo initiative, Hong was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal of the fifth rank and the Samil Medal of Merit of the Order of National Security in 1966 and 1996 respectively. Hong wrote “Dokdo Voluntary Guard” which appeared in A Medal for a Unknown Veteran, a compilation of prize-winning works from a memoir writing competition for state-honored patriots and veterans, as well as Whose Land Is This, a memoir, an excerpt of which appeared in a magazine during his lifetime as part of an ongoing series, and then was published in its entirety after his death in 1997.
